Ack, sorry Larry, glad you checked it out asap.
I spent my youth/20's working/climbing/hiking in the Desert Southwest and had little care about getting burned. Now at 47 I have had a handful of pre cancerous bits removed and am acutely aware when I am out on the water. Paranoid in fact that I cover up as much as possible. UV Buffs, floppy hat and long pants are now standard wear for me.
Good luck man and keep covered!!

Click to expand...

I second the UV Buffs. For some reason sunscreens - the taste, smell, residue - just bothers me. The Buffs have worked great for me.

Even the best SPF 100 waterproof sunscreen that money can buy is only good for less than 2 hours while surfing or swimming. . . .

Click to expand...

My bride pointed out an interesting article the other day that most people that use sunscreen don't use nearly enough. So the protection they 'think' they're receiving is marginal at best. The article says that a family of four should go though an entire bottle of sunscreen over a weekend. Sheesh, and I thought applying a little dab the size of a nickel was adequate.

My bride pointed out an interesting article the other day that most people that use sunscreen don't use nearly enough. So the protection they 'think' they're receiving is marginal at best. The article says that a family of four should go though an entire bottle of sunscreen over a weekend. Sheesh, and I thought applying a little dab the size of a nickel was adequate.

K

Click to expand...

They recommend at least two tablespoon (or maybe it was two oz), or a "golf ball sized glob" as the minimum amount to apply. When I'm surfing, I don't need that much just for my exposed face. My surf sessions are less than 2 hours, and I re-apply afterwards.
Since I don't usually wear gloves when paddling my Yak or U-12, or fishing in a boat, I apply waterproof sunscreen liberally to the backs of my hands and wrists (wearing long sleeves), and let it soak in and dry. then I carefully wash my palms and fingers so that the smell from the residue doesn't get on my flies or fishing gear and put off any fish. Of course, my face and neck get slathered up, too when I'm paddling, but I'm going to invest in a couple of UV buffs since I hate applying gobs of chemicals several times a week.

Hey Old Man, I'll probably be required to purchase insurance starting in 2014 under Obamacare, or else pay a penalty. It might be worth it to pay the penalty and not buy the insurance, and hold off until I get on Medicare. I'll have to do the math on that one, once I have the figures.

I have read that skin cancer rates are at their highest in places like England and lowest in desert areas like Arizona. The data below indicating "Island" county as one of the highest in the State and Washington one of the highest in the nation might lead one to this same conclusion since most people live on the cloudy side.

just the facts: Skin Cancer in Washington
■
■Sunburns. A 2004 survey found that 43.6% of white adults in Washington had at
least one sunburn in the past year.5 Sunburns are a significant risk factor for the
development of skin cancer.6-8
■
■New■Cases■of■Melanoma. The rate of new melanoma diagnoses—responsible for
75% of all skin cancer deaths—was 35% higher in Washington than the national
average from 2001-2005 and was the 5th highest in the U.S.9,10 An estimated 1,900
state residents were diagnosed with melanoma in 2008.2
■
■Island County has one of the top 10 rates of new melanoma diagnoses among
counties nationwide, 130% above the national average.11
■
■Deaths■from■Melanoma.■Approximately 175 people in Washington die of
melanoma every year.12 Washington had the 16th highest melanoma death rate
nationally from 2001-2005—7.4% higher than the U.S. average.13
Skin■cancer■is■the■most■common■cancer■diagnosed■in■the■
United■States.1-4 This fact sheet presents statistics about skin
cancer for Washington and the United States as a whole.
Melanoma■Death■Rates,■■
2001–200512
All■Races,■Both■Sexes,■All■Ages
WA
Melanoma Deaths per Year
per 100,000 People
3.1–3.4
2.6–3.0
2.1–2.5
1.6–2.0

Scary stats there, GT! We Washingtonians take a lot of vacations to tropical climes in the winter time, and often come back with sunburns.
I think we minimize the hazard in our own minds here in coastal WA and Island County due to the generally cooler weather, too.

Larry, hope all goes well with the treatments. Remember, when you kiss a fish it doesn't care what your lip looks like

I am in the full cover-up camp. I wear long sleeve SPF shirts, uv Buff, hat, and buff gloves to cover my hands/wrists. Even with this I will put sunscreen on my face/ears/neck in case the Buff slips. The Uv clothing can't wash off like sunscreen, and I'm exposed to fewer of the chemicals in the smelly goop.

According to my dermatologist, melanoma is most commonly found on the back if you are a male and the back of the legs for females.
Both of mine were on my back. My back looks like I've been in a knife fight......

Larry, hope all goes well with the treatments. Remember, when you kiss a fish it doesn't care what your lip looks like

I am in the full cover-up camp. I wear long sleeve SPF shirts, uv Buff, hat, and buff gloves to cover my hands/wrists. Even with this I will put sunscreen on my face/ears/neck in case the Buff slips. The Uv clothing can't wash off like sunscreen, and I'm exposed to fewer of the chemicals in the smelly goop.

Click to expand...

Yeah, Thanks Rob. Hopefully the screams you hear on the beach are me, with a coho hooked, and not the pain from my bleeding, burning, itching, peeling, splitting lip!!!

Larry, I hope you get through this allright. I have had the same thing and the scars to prove it, the treatment was painful. And thanks for bringing it to the attention of others, many of whom are rather macho and chauvinistic about their own vulnerabilities. No one is tougher than the sun.

I take a lot of precautions these days and so far so good. I wear big hats and bought one of those long brimmed solar block ball type caps also. I buy the biggest Aviator model FitOvers sunglasses which give me great wraparound coverage and keep any sun from coming in the sides. They look like welding goggles but man do they do the job. And the sunscreen I use is Banana Boat Kids which is tear free, sting free and most importantly fragrance free. It is SPF 50 and looks much like clown white when first applied. For a few minutes you'll look like you are going to a rock concert or a Raiders game but it soon blends in. I suppose few adults use it because it says KIDS on the tube but the fragrance free part alone is worth the price. And always carry a buff. Once you do get burned the best thing that I have ever used for relief and healing is Vitamin A&D ointment. I haven't gone out without this stuff for 50 years now. It is just as effective on the slopes of Mt Mckinley as it is on the Deschutes. Smear some on after a burn and see how fast you heal.

I sure hope that lip can be saved bud. Some of the cigar smokers on here are going to get a similar cancer but might lose some lips in the process. They'll have a big smile afterward but they won't be happy.

I'm not really that asshole I make myself out to be. I don't stay out in the sun long enough to get a sun burn. I'll tan up because I don't stay in the sun long. I have yet to be sunburned yet this year. I've had my share of sunburns. Once when I was a kid I was so sunburned that my shirt was stuck to my skin. I was to young to remember it. Another time I was about 24 and my first wife used to make he own suntan lotion. She smeared it all over me and we were swimming in the salt at Picnic point. All that wasn't sunburned was when I had on my swimming suit. I was in pure misery for a week.

I never felt the need to use sunscreen. Maybe I should as I could prolong my life another 50 years.

Now when I go fish I will have something else to wear instead of just hand lotion and bug spray.

Good to hear you caught it early Larry. I always figured I'd be the one to get it, spending 25 years outdoors as an ironworker, 15 in California; have had a few "pre-cancerous" removed, but nothing serious. The wife has never been a sunworshipper, but she's the one who gets the bad kind; MOHS surgery on her forehead and they're watching one on her lip. BTW, if anyone needs surgery, this is the ONLY method I'd consider:http://www.melanomafoundation.org/diagnosis/surgery.htm
Don't make the mistake of thinking that as a PNW resident you are not a candidate(as mentioned earlier by Alex), my neighbor in Alaska died from it.